Gov. Cuomo Says a LIRR Strike Would be “a Real Pain”

As New Yorkers face the prospect of a potentially crippling Long Island Rail Road work stoppage as early as Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that such an episode would be “a real pain,” but not a disaster.

“We’ve had strikes before, and we survived. And we’ve had disasters and we know what that’s like,” Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said Tuesday at an unrelated news conference in Niskayuna, N.Y. “This is not a disaster. A real pain, maybe, but not a disaster.”

Mr. Cuomo is facing increasing pressure to step in to resolve the standoff between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a state agency, and LIRR unions before July 20, when a strike could begin. Talks between both sides broke down on Monday.

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